Furnace charging machine peel



Aug. 28, 1951 H. w. BALL FURNACE CHARGING MACHINE PEEL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2, 1948 HARVEY w. BALL,

Attorney H. W. BALL FURNACE CHARGING MACHINE PEEL Aug. 28, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1948 N N? 1? A r 7 7" L m V E, I 1 1 mm 3mm HARVEY W. BALL,

Attorney Aug. 28, 1951 H. w. BALL 2,565,904

FURNACE CHARGING MACHINE PEEL Filed June 2, 1948 3 Shee ts-Sheet 5 gnaw/WM HARVEY w. BALL,

Attorney Patented Aug. 28, 1951 FURNACE cmmomor MACHINE PEEL Harvey W. Ball, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to The Morgan Engineering, Company, Alliance, Ohio, 1

a corporation of Ohio Application June 2, 1948, Serial No. 30,601

v"1 Claims. (01. 214-1834) x 1 This invention relates to furnace charging machines, and more particularly to the peel employed to move charging boxes into and out of open hearth furnaces.

In the charging of such furnaces, the peel head and the charging box are subjected to high temperatures for considerable periods of time, so much so that a certain amount of distortion takes place. Therefore, to allow the peel head to enter the slot in the box, ample clearance must be provided to compensate for the subsequent distortion, and heretofore, this clearance, with the existing means of securing the box to the peel, has provided an unstable connection of the box to the peel. Consequently, the primary object of the present invention is to provide means for clamping the box securely to the peel,

regardless of distortion, the connection being such as to so firmly join the box to the peel, that both react to the various operations as one member, or as a unitary structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide auxiliary meanscooperating with the clamping device to bolt the box to the peel.

A still further object is to supply the head portion of the peel with a replaceable protective hood or shield, capable of withstanding the high temperatures to which the peel head is subjected.

The invention consists in mechanism capable of carrying out the foregoing objects, which can be economically made, will add to the life of the peel, and which is satisfactory in operation and is not readily liable to get out of order.

More particularly, the invention resides in the features and details of construction, which will be hereinafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the rear half of the peel.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the head portion of the peel, and a portion of a charging box, and illustrating the means for clamping and bolting an end of the box to the head of the peel.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the rear end portion of the peel, and illustrating details of construction.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 6-6 of Fig. 4 and on a reduced scale.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, 1 designates a cradle carried by a trolley (not shown), which may be of the type disclosed in my application, Serial No; 37,483, filed July '7, 1948, issued as Patent No. 2,508,088, granted May 16, 1950. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the front end portion of the cradle and the medial portion of the peel are suspended by a bracket 'or brackets 8 from the trolley (not shown), to allow the peel to rock vertically upon a horizontal fulcrum 9, supported by bracket 8.

As shown in Fig. 3, a peel casing or tubular member I0 is journalled in the front and rear end portions of the cradle, as indicated at H and I 2, to allow said casing to turn about the axis of a reciprocating rod l3, which extends through the central portion of the peel. The casing l0 may be turned by any suitable means. For example, a gear I lmay be fixed to, and surround, the rear end portion of the casing, and may mesh with a worm gear I5, positioned in a housing l6, forming part of the cradle. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the worm gear may be driven by any suitable type of prime mover, such as an electric motor l1, mounted on the cradle, and driving a shaft l8, which actuates the worm gear l5.

At I9, I have shown links which are operatively connected to suitable mechanism (not shown) of the trolley, for raising'and lowering the ends of the peel as it swings about the fulcrum 9.

Referring now to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the reciprocating rod I3 is fixedly connected at its front end 20, to the end of a stem 2| which is rectangular in cross-section (Fig. 6) and slidable in a rectangular bore in the front end portion of the peel. The stem terminates in a head 22, of the type designed to enter the slot 23 in an end wall 24 of a charging box 25, only a fragment of which is shown. Such box may be of conventional construction, or be specially shaped at one end, to accommodate a peel head 22 of any desired shape. As is usual, the end wall of the box has a vertical notch 26, communicating with the slot 23, and in accordance with the present invention, such notch accommodates a neck portion 21 of the peel head 22. At this point, it will be evident from Fig. 4, that if stem 2| is moved by the rod l3 in the direction of the arrow 28, while the head is in the slot 23 of the charging box, the head will function to clamp the extreme end 29 of the box against the outer end of the peel.

Pursuant to the present :invention, a key fixes a bolt 31 to the tubular casing J0 of the peel, and as this bolt is arranged axially of the peel, and is positioned at the front end thereof, when the clamping head 22 is moved in the direction of the arrow 28, the end 32 of the bolt will high resistance to heat. Such metals are known,

but I believe I am the first to use them in protective shields for the front end portion of the peelof a furnace charging machine.

As mentioned heretofore, the rod l3 reciprocates within the tubular casing of the peel, and as it must also rotate with said casing, special mounting means is arranged at the rear end of the peel. As shown in Fig. 5, the rod 13 extends through a removable plate 31 of a reciprocating housing 38. Within the housing, the rear end of the rod is keyed at 39 to a collar Ml, which is in "threaded'engagement with the rod and cooperates with a thnustibearing ,and a radial bearring '41". 'This=iconstruction ,steadies --the rod, while permittingthe-same toimove with the hous- 'ing;38, or rotate relatively thereto;

A vertical pin 42' -is journalled in the housing 38, as shown at, and is .pivotally connected at its upper end to the medial portion of a rocking flever 44. As show n in Fig. 1, such lever swings about a :pin 1'5, fixed to the :rearendof the cradle, and its opposite end'is pivotally connected at A5 to a member or link 41, secured to the rod d8 of a piston (not shown), reciprocating in a hydraulic I wish it distinctly understood that my improvements described and illustrated are in 'a form practical for commercial purposes, and I recognize that changes and variations may be made, without departing from the salient features of the invention. I, therefore, intend the following claims to cover such modifications as naturally "fall within the lines of -'the invention.

What I claim "and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a structure of the character described, a

. cradle having :a front end portion and a rear end portion, the front end portion being provided means to facilitate rocking of the cradle about a horizontal axis, a tubular casing rotat- "ably supported by the cradle and projecting forcylinder '49. Obviously, when such piston is actua'ted, it will cause the peel 'rod 13 to reciprocate during the locking of acharging box to the peel or in the release 7 of the box therefrom.

Referring to theopera'tion of the mechanism, it will be understood that while thetrolley which supports the peel, cradle, and associated parts, is moving toward a car (not shown), carrying a filledcharging box '25, the head end of the peel will be in elevated position. When the peel head arrives at the desired location, the operator of the trolley will operate thelinks 19, at the rear end of the peel, to lower the free end of the peel and cause the head .22 to enter the slot 23;:of the box. As the head descends into the slot, the notch 26 will accommodate the neck 21. At this time, the hydraulic motor '49 will be actuated to swing the lever 44 about the axis of the pin 45,130 .cause the rod I 3 and thehead of the peel to move in .the direction of the arrow28 (Fig. 4) so as to clamp the extreme end 29 of the box 25 against ,the plate 36 of the peel. As the .bolt '3] cannot move during such operation, it will enter the cavity 33 inthe end of thebox, and the-peel head willbe rigidlysecured to the box. At this time, the links 18, at the .rear end ,of the peel, can be depressed so as to lift the charging box from the car which supported 'it, and the trolley which carries the peel can be moved forward to introduce the box and the head end of the peel into the furnace. When entryintothe 'furnaceis sufificient, the motor I! can be energized, to rotate the casing H) of the peel, and as the stem 21 turns with such casing,-itis-evident that the head "22 0f the peel and the'bolt 31 will also turn in awardly-fromthe-f'ront end portion thereof, means supported by the cradle and operatively connected tot-he casing for rotating the casing, a reciprocating head having ;-a neck slidably mounted in'thefront endzportion of the casing, reciprocating im-eans' operatively connected to the neck,

extending through the casing and projecting from the rear end thereofla housing operatively connected to the rear end :portion of the lastmentioned means, the last-mentioned means being rotatable relatively tosaidhousing but reciprocating therewith, means including a prime mover mounted on the cradle for moving the housing towardand away from the rear end portlon of the casing for causing the reciprocating head to move toward and away from the outer end portion of said casing, a bolt extending through the neck and head-and a key fixing said bolt to said casing.

2. In a 'furnacecharg-ing machine, an elongated peel having a free end surfacesubstantiallyat right angles to "the axis of the peel, a peel head including a stem carried by the free end of the peel movable axially of the peel, and means for shifting the stem axially of the peel to retract it rearwardly with respect to the free end of the peel after the head arranged in a slot of a charging box to clamp the endof the box between the head-andthe end surface ofthe peel.

In a box manipulating bar assembly for a furnace charging 1machine, an elongated peel devoid of an integral head at the free end thereof, a transverse butt surface at the free end of the peel, a peel head normally spacedfrom the butt ,end surface, a neck carried by the peel head mounted on the peel at the free end for movements axially of the peel, and means for retract- ;ing the neck portion relative to the peel to move the head towards the free end of the peel for clamping an end of a charging .box against the butt end surface of the peel.

1- A charging bar assembly for an open-hearth furnace charging machine comprising, an elongated peel casing, a peel head, astem carried by the peel head extending into an .end portion of the peel casingand slidable relative thereto,

means including a rod extending through the peel casing for moving the: stem and .the .peel head relative to the peel casing, and a bolt rigidly secured to the peel casing extending through the stem and the peel head and projecting beyond the .peel head when :the :same is retracted toward the .end of the peel casing.

5. In a furnace charging machine, an elongated peel-casing, a separate peel head, a stem integral with the peel head extending into an end portion of the peel casing and slidable relative thereto, :means preventing rotation .of the stem relative to the peel casingnonner operated means including a rod extending through the peel casing for moving the stem and the peel head relative to the peel casing, a bolt extendingthrough the stem and the peel head terminating beyond the free end of the peel casing, and means securing the bolt to the peel casing.

6. In a furnace charging machine for openhearth furnaces'an elongated hollow peel casing. a peel head at the free end of the peel casing, a stem carried by the peel head extending into the hollow peel casingat the free end thereof and slidable relative thereto, means preventing rotation of the stem relative to the peel casing, a rod connected to said stem and extending through the peel casing, a swingable lever pivotally connected to said rod, power operated means for swinging said lever, a bolt extending through the stem and the peel head and terminating beyond the free end of 'the peel casing, and means extending through a slot in the stem securing the bolt to the peel casing.

7. In a furnace charging machine, an elongatially of the peel casing, and a transverse butt end surface on the free end of said peel casing.

HARVEY W. BALL,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 853,483 Taylor May 14, 1907 864,934 Taylor Sept. 3, 1907 2,120,202 Foss June 7, 1938 2,151,003 Ball Mar. 21, 1939 

